The present invention is directed to a hair treatment device, and more specifically, to a hair coloring or highlighting comb.
There are many people who desire to treat their hair with various types of treatment materials. By way of example only, treatment materials include, but are not limited to, bleaches, peroxides, lye, coloring dyes, highlighting liquids and gels as well as ointments, oils, shampoos, conditioners and the like. For purposes of the discussion herein, the term "treatment" is to be understood as a broad term which encompasses all of the above and other types of materials and especially coloring and/or highlighting.
There are several different methods or applications for treating hair, both professionally and by home application. If a person desires to have blonde highlights, he or she can either have his or her hair treated by a professional at a beauty salon or treat his or her hair himself or herself. Many people opt to have their hair treated by a professional because of the difficulties in applying treatment material in a way which achieves a desired look for that person.
There are several treatment methods or processes available from a professional. It should be appreciated that these methods may be performed by non-professionals as well. One treatment method involves placing a cap on a person's head. The cap includes a plurality of tiny openings. The professional pulls selected pieces of the person's hair through these openings. Then, the professional treats these portions of the person's hair accordingly. This method may be expensive and time consuming. Also, the desired results may not be achieved. For example, the person's roots may not receive treatment, making the resulting application appear unprofessional for most people. One reason for this is that it is difficult to treat hair close to the scalp using this method. As a result, shortly after a person receives a hair treatment application, one can readily observe the untreated roots. This process also is undesirable because, when using a cap, it is difficult to prevent overlap coloring. Overlap occurs when a person receives a subsequent treatment and the same portions of the hair are inadvertently retreated, potentially causing chemical damage to the hair.
In another process, a professional first selects a portion of a person's hair. The professional then weaves out separate pieces of the selected portion of hair so that intermittent strands of hair will be available for treating. The professional isolates these pieces from the rest of the hair by placing a piece of foil underneath them. The professional then swipes treatment material onto the selected hair, using an applicator brush or the like. Finally, the professional wraps the hair with the foil so that the hair may be treated with the treatment material. The professional then repeats the above steps to achieve a desired treated effect. This method is messy, very time consuming, costly and sometimes inaccurate both in not reaching all the way to the scalp as well as not treating the correct portions of the person's hair to achieve the desired appearance. Overlap coloring may also occur during this process, which, as mentioned above, is undesirable.
Another process for treating a person's hair is through the use of a treatment comb. Known treatment combs are usually used by professionals since a certain degree of skill and/or dexterity is needed to use them. However, non-professionals attempt to utilize them at home, albeit with mostly disastrous results. It is known to use combs for treating, and particularly coloring or highlighting, hair. Treatment combs, such as, for example, highlighting combs, seek to selectively highlight portions of a person's hair by combing material through those selected portions. In essence, the tines of the comb retain treatment material which will be applied to the hair. A professional loads the treatment material onto the comb either with a squeeze bottle or an applicator brush and then swipes the comb through a person's hair.
Certain combs are available which have been used specifically for highlighting hair. One which currently exists comprises a comb system having multiple parts needing manipulation during a highlighting application. Other combs have insufficiently sized tines which make it difficult to highlight longer hair (i.e., shoulder length or longer) because the tines do not hold enough treatment material.
Prior combs have an additional disadvantage of misconstructed reservoir or treatment retaining areas. For example, known combs have reservoirs which are deeper at the back of the teeth i.e., toward the spine. This limits the amount of treating material available in the correct areas of the comb to complete the desired length of a person's hair. In addition, existing combs often snag as they are being swiped through the hair. This snagging may contribute to a botched highlighting application, which may result in a time-consuming re-application or, worse yet, the person may have to wait until their hair grows out before attempting another application. These shortcomings with existing combs result in dissatisfied customers and people who may need the highlighting application performed over again, or worse yet, may need major and expensive corrective hair color or highlighting procedures performed.
As an alternative to a comb, there is a fork-like or "glider" applicator available from Clairol Inc. of Stamford, Conn. The applicator is known as the NUANCES GLIDER applicator and includes eight solid fingers or protrusions extending in a random multiple prong fork-like manner. The application is dipped into treatment solution and indiscriminately stroked through a person's hair. With this type of applicator, it is difficult to provide for a consistent treatment throughout the hair since there is no way to segment the portions of hair in a systematic manner.
Therefore, there is a need for a comb which can provide treatment to all desired portions of a person's hair. There also is a need for a treatment comb which is constructed to reduce snagging of the hair during use. Further, there is a need for a comb having a construction which provides for treatment of substantially long hair from the roots to the ends. Further, there is a need for a comb which completes a treatment application in less time, with fewer overall swipes through the hair, providing for fewer opportunities for error.